I will admit to having just got into BB, and I will also admit that if I saw it week by week, I probably would've lost interest a long time back - there were some sloooow episodes.

But all at once in a marathon? Wow. it's amazing.

Yeah that is one reason I recorded this season and only started watching last night.

They like to let characters stare into space for an extra 5-10 seconds here and there compared to most shows. Sometimes it is nice and breath of fresh air considering most shows are too edit/cut happy.

But other times you get an episode like S5.5 Ep1 where nothing happens.

Of course, the thing is, they had to stretch that premise for another 7 episodes because really, if Walt gets arrested in the first episode, well, what are you going to do for the next 7? Fine, you can do a wrap up show and have two episodes, but that's it.

No, it has to be stretched out because the only time to settle it is on the last episode. So episodes 1-7 of 5.5 must just tie up loose ends.

Whew! We just finished the finale of season 4 last night... According to the previously linked article, it looks like I have to set up a first run+repeats season pass tomorrow night before 11pm - then probably a manual record of the Talking Bad special.

How can people say nothing happened in S05E09? There was the great scene with Walt vs Hank. There was Skyler with the verbal smackdown of Lydia. There was the great scene with Walt at Jesse's place. And of course the flash-forward teaser at the beginning was great. What's not to like?

Just turned on AMC in the background and saw the titular scene in Box Cutter. Man that was tense.

I've never watched a single episode of this show and decided to record the first five to see if I'd like it. I did.

A couple of questions I didn't feel like googling:
1) Is Mr Smith the same actor who played the dad in Malcolm/Middle and Tim Sacksky in King of Queens?

2) Why is it called Breaking Bad? Never figured that out.

3) Why are they editing out all the cuss words? Did they do this in the original run? If so, why have them cuss? I don't understand why they're bleeping these words in the marathon.

That is all.

1) Mr. Smith? If you mean Mr. White, then yes.

2)"A glance at the bevy of definitions at user-sourced Urban Dictionary reveals that different contributors think the words possess a wide variety of nuances: to “break bad” can mean to “go wild,” to “defy authority” and break the law, to be verbally “combative, belligerent, or threatening” or, followed by the preposition “on,” to “completely dominate or humiliate.”

Reference books back up that third meaning seen at Urban Dictionary. The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English gives a definition of “to act in a threatening, menacing manner”; American Slang gives a similar definition and traces the phrase to 1970s black usage. Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang says it’s African-American slang from the ’60s that means “to become angry or aggressive”—and that on 1980s college campuses it could (perhaps in a “bad equals good” sense?) mean “to perform well.” The Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms labels the phrase as Southern slang that means “to behave in a violent manner for no good reason.”

1. Yes.
2. In a later episode (or possibly the pilot), Jesse (Walt's former student) is surprised that Walt is going to "break bad" by suddenly going from mild-mannered, boring, straigh-laced, high-school chemistry teacher to cooking meth in an RV in the desert with a loser drug dealer. "Breaking Bad" is the first step at going from someone who doesn't do anything wrong to someone who does, in a big way.*
3. These episodes originally aired on AMC with the language and even some mild nudity. They've decided after-the-fact to censor them, even on Netflix.

* Vince Gilligan, the creator of the show has said often he wanted to portray "Mr. Chips turning into Scarface". Think of that as "Breaking Bad"

Well, having an episode and a half left to go, I have to say those 7 episodes so far of season 5.5 are pretty damn good.

Marathon style rocks!

Edit:
A question - I get product placement, but why does Walt drive an Aztek for so long? Heck, there was a scene where Walt's rushing to see Gus and we see all the "beauty" shots typically reserved for car ads. But the Aztek sold poorly, was discontinued 3 years before BB began, and Pontiac died a couple of years after it started. I understand why Walt might drive one (being a high school teacher and all), but it seems odd to use it as if it was a product placement. What was up with that?

I had never watched an episode so I thought I'd record the marathon. My Tivo caught all 62 episodes. But after the first one with AMC's annoying commercials and constant censoring of curse words I got fed up. (I don't need to hear the word, but the sound dropouts bug me ) Luckily I still have a month of free Netflix from buying my Chromecast so I'm watching them that way instead.

I'm up to S03E03 now. It's not as compelling as SOA or Justified, but it's Ok. Greatest show on TV as it was made out to be? I don't see it.

Yeah, it you watch it individually it's not that great. But binge it, and it's a lot better. There are a lot of episodes where it does nothing but set everything up for a future episode.

Breaking Bad is about actions and consequences, and even the most innocent action can reverberate down the road. Plus, season 3 is a bit slow, however the last 3-4 episodes things REALLY pick up again.

Everything's in the setup phase. Near the end is where the dominoes start falling. But that doesn't mean there aren't some entertaining diversions

I'm laid off, but did the same. saw the whole thing in a few weeks. Great story, characters, and acting. the violence and drug plot had kept me away before, but well done. It's in my top 10 I guess.

I think I need to rewatch BB at some point, due to the rushed nature I did this time. I was trying, for some weird reason, to get the finale to watch it live. I was about an hour behind, but it was a great ride. Jesse was my favorite.